HIGH COST CF LOCAL BODY GOVERNMENT

Northern Advocate, 13 July 1936, Page 4

HIGH COST CF LOCAL BODY GOVERNMENT

MR PARRY STRESSES NECESSITY FOR AMALGAMATION

[Per Presi Association. —Copyright,} WELLINGTON, This Day.

Dealing with the high cost of management of local affairs by several separate governing bodies in the towns and boroughs of the Dominion, the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Hon. W. E. Parry, referred yesterday to the case of boroughs, in which legal tussles had taken place, costing, the ratepayer's large sums of money. “The more I go into the question,” stated the Minister, “the more glaring do examples appear before me illustrating the soundness of any step taken to bring about the amalgamation of our local bodies. Almost daily, notable circumstances come to light, all showing the high cost sometimes caused by duplicating the authority of administrations on the people’s local affairs. , -

“One cr two recent events, all subject to legal action, have been told to me by visiting Mayors of progressive boroughs of. the Dominion. They have, with convincing facts, shown me how councils’ exchequers would have been saved a large expenditure, not only in Court proceedings, but in other directions as well, if there had been unification of the bodies.

“If there had been but one body controlling local affairs, many of these squabbles, they tell me, could have been satisfactorily adjusted round the council table, but, with the participation of other bodies in these squabbles, and they had the right within their functions to participate, there is little hope of settlement outside a Court of judgment. I am sure the people of New Zealand, and no doubt local bodies themselves, will see wisdom in the amalgamation proposals now being prepared.”